Back Pain At The Lower End
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Back Pain is a common among people of various age groups irrespective
of their sex. The reason for back pain is not always specific, it might
vary. Lower back pain is primarily felt due to the dissemination of pain
from the muscles, nerve, spine or other formation in that area. Other
reasons for lower back pain include hernia in groin, problems in testis
or ovaries, or pain dissemination from other regions of the back.
Burning or tingling sensation, severe sharp pain or simple dull aches
are some of the common effects of lower back pain. Weakness of legs is
also commonly observed. The cause for lower back pain is numerous including
improper posture during sitting, standing or lifting. It may get exemplified
suddenly during a single action like bending the waist or reaching something
by stretching.
It is not necessary to have a single event to bring you pain at low back.
Your habits or practicing various activities might have been improper,
such as sitting and standing posture, lifting etc, for longer period of
time. Suddenly, one day, a simple movement, such as reaching for an object,
bending, or a small slip may cause you the pain.
Considerations:
Having a back pain is something very common. One will experience back
pain at least once in a life time. The most common back pain is the lower
back pain. It affects most people globally. The reason for the high incidence
of lower back pain is that the lower back is the region of the body that
supports most of the body weight. So any minor discomfort related to posture
is felt first in the lower back only.
According to statistics lower back pain is the second common reason for
Americans to consult a doctor, next to cold and flu. It is observed that
most injuries of lower back occur at work. It is generally inevitable.
But changing certain habits and following certain rules the chances of
getting a lower back pain can be reduced considerably. There are two types
of back pain, ‘acute pain’ is the one that lasts less than a month (short
term) and the other type is ‘chronic pain’ that lasts for more than three
months.
Causes:
The 1st pain in the lower back may be felt suddenly. But the cause is
a long time one which including Aneurysm of the aiota, Disk degeneration,
Infections or stones in the kidneys, Muscle spasm, Medical situations
like fibromyalgia, Bad alignment of the vertebral column, herniated or
Ruptured disk, Osteoporosis in the spine, Spinal Stenosis, Inherited Spine
curvatures and Muscular or ligament tear or strain in the back. Whatever
may be the reason for the lower back pain, it is primarily due to these
causes leading to the spasm of muscles in the region.
Home Care:
Most people get cured of their back pain within a week, but for some it
takes up to 4 – 5 weeks. There are many home remedies available for treating
back ache. It is to be noted that on the contrary to the regular belief
complete bed rest does not cure back ache.
Many of the cases of lower back ache are accompanied with fever, weakness,
weight loss, bowel control loss, or loss of bladder control. If these
symptoms are not seen then reduction in the activities for a few days
may be helpful. But restoration of the activities is required at the earliest.
Some tips to handle pain are:
• Stopping physical activities done normally for a few days, which help
in reducing inflammation.
• Giving heat and ice treatment in the affected area. Ice may applied
for 2 – 3 days followed by heat application.
• Intake of common pain killers available over the counter like ibuprofen
or acetaminophen.
The sleeping position has to be in a curled position with pillows between
the legs or lying down straight with pillows below the knees. This assists
to reduce the pressure. The next important issue to note is the exercise
you do. Do not perform exercises that involve twisting or weight lifting
for 6 weeks from the pain beginning. Then you may gradually start performing
them. Cardiovascular exercises involving aerobic exercises are the best
to perform. Exercises like cycling in a stationary bicycle or swimming
are good to perform. They also help reduce the abdominal fat.
Performing stretching exercises should be done with care. Though they
have very good long term effects in the initial phases of pain they should
be avoided. Only upon advice from a doctor or a therapist must these be
restored. Exercises like Jogging, Golf, Football, Weight lifting, Ballet,
straight leg Sit-ups and leg lifting in a lying positing must be avoided.
Contacting a Medical Personal:
There are many situations of lower back pain that require medical attention
like back pain with fever, back pain due to fall or strong blow, inflammation
on the spine or back, disseminating pain till the legs, Numbness in the
pelvis, legs or buttocks, difficulty in urination, very severe intolerable
pain in the back, loss of bladder or rectum control.
Other reasons to call a doctor may be sudden loss of weight, 1st time
severe pain, usage of IV drugs or steroids, back pain has been lasting
more than a week. Consulting a doctor in such situations is very important
to diagnose the real problem so that much damage can be minimized.
What the Doctor Does
The meeting with your doctor will generally begin with some quick pro
quos about the intensity and the severity of the pain. You will also be
questioned about the duration of pain and the location of the pain. These
will help the doctor decide the grounds of the pain, whether it is a severe
problem or a minor problem. Minor problems can be easily treated with
mild pain killers and application of ice and heat.
Next the doctor will try moving your legs and knees in various directions.
This will help the doctor to assess the severity of the pain and the results
or damages it has caused. It makes the doctor to come to a conclusion
about your mobility and will help in determining the strength of the knees.
Then the next important diagnosis the doctor tries to do is to test the
nervous reflexes of the legs. He will employ a hammer made of rubber and
tap your knees to see the reflex. He may rub various regions of the body
with a feather or may prick with a pin to test the sensory response of
the regions. The doctor will ask you to tell him when the region he touches
is having a dull or numb feeling.
As it is known that most cases of lower back pain get subsided within
6 weeks. If not or if the case is very severe depending on the symptoms
the doctor may advice some tests which diagnoses serious nerve disorder,
infection, tumor or fracture. The tests can be a X-Ray photograph of the
pelvis or spine, Myelogram which is nothing but CT scan or x ray of the
spine upon injecting with a dye, CT scan or MRI of the lower spine.
Treatment to very severe cases may require hospitalization, surgery of
the spine or traction. But these are to be considered only if nervous
damage is evident. If your pain is persistent even after initial treatment
your general physician may refer you to a bone specialist (orthopedic)
or to a nerve specialist (Neurologist).
Conclusion:
Thus treating the lower back pain requires that you first try to analyze
the problem. See the intensity and the duration of the problem. If the
pain is persistent for more than six weeks or so consultation to a physician
is essential. Performing exercises during the period of lower back pain
must be done with caution. Aerobic exercise is recommended for people
with lower back pain. Severe stress to the regions of the lower back must
be avoided. Care should be taken to give complete bed rest for minor pain.
